Monthly eye injections of Avastin (bevacizumab) are as effective as the more expensive drug Eylea (aflibercept) for the treatment of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), according to a study chaired by Dr. Ingrid U. Scott of Penn State College of Medicine.

The higher frequency of tantrums in children with autism are often blamed on speech and language problems. In a study, researchers indicate that IQ, the ability to understand language, and their ability to use words and speak clearly explained less than 3 percent of their tantrums.

The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Dr. Raymond J. Hohl, MD, director of the Penn State Cancer Institute, who discusses progress made in the field and the importance of making care “patient-centered.”

A new $2.4 million program for graduate students seeking to contribute to breakthrough discoveries in medicine and biology has been established at Penn State. The new Biomedical Big Data to Knowledge Training Program brings together Pennsylvania data scientists, biomedical researchers, and life-science researchers at Penn State and the Geisinger Genomic Medicine Institute to accelerate advances in the biomedical and life sciences.

Penn State researchers were recently awarded a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant to learn more about animal-assisted therapy in child abuse situations.

Resident/Fellow Research Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 at the tent near the University Conference Center on the campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Penn State has named health economist Christopher Hollenbeak head of the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development. His appointment is effective Aug. 15.

A mother who is happy in her partner relationship tends to report that her baby is less fussy. Penn State College of Medicine researchers suggest that either there is a connection between fussiness and the happiness of the couple, or that mothers who are happy in their relationships are less likely to report babies with colic.

Brains that suffer injuries can adjust in remarkable ways and create connections between injured areas that are better and stronger. However, those new connections may be less efficient and, in the end, more costly to maintain. These "hyperconnections" could increase the likelihood of problems, such as Alzheimer's Disease, developing later in life. Studying hyperconnections underscores the importance of brain protection and could one day lead to treatments for brain impairments.